With the emergence of the iPad, rumors have circulated that the Amazon Kindle will die out. What many devoted Kindle users will tell you is that nothing can replace their Kindle, and here’s why. The biggest complaint about the iPad, when used as an e-reader, is that it is not friendly to the eyes because of the backlit screen. A Kindle screen mimics newspaper print so it is easy to read and can be used in direct sunlight and is not strenuous on the eyes.

The other main criticism of the iPad vs. Kindle is the price. The simplest of the iPad’s will cost you around $500, while the Kindle is half that price. Categorizing the iPad as an e-reader does not make sense, since it has various functions and applications. If one is looking for strictly an e-reader, Kindle is more affordable. However, for those looking for something closer to what a laptop can do, iPad will be a better choice.

Amazon has reportedly acquired Touchco, a New York start-up specializing in touch screen technology in an effort to play catch-up with the Apple iPad. 

The New York Times reported, the touch-screen technology is developed by Touchco and is substantially cheaper than the capacitative touch screens used for the iPad, their cost is at around $10 per square foot.�

The technology is called interpolating force-sensitive resistance (IFSR), the technique uses resistors to detect varying levels of pressure, and requires very little power.  The touch screens alllow the device to detect an unlimited number of simultaneous touch points, and to distinguish between the touch of a finger and the touch of a pen. 

The Kindle and Sony Reader’s displays are made by E-ink.  Amazon has resisted adding touch screen technology, on the basis that this would affect legibility.Touchco’s technology has claimed to be completely transparent, so the screen clarity would not be affected.  It would also allow the Kindle to move to color screens, as E-ink doesn’t expect a color screen until next year.

With no official word from Apple, the Tablet is still just a rumor right now, but that doesn’t stop all the Tech analysts from making predictions on it’s mass production.  It’s said that if you want to see whats really going on “checks into Apple’s supply chain” as providing sufficient evidence that the Apple is preparing to ramp up production in February of a 10.1-inch multitouch LCD based tablet.

According to analysts the deal Apple is offering is especially designed to take Amazon’s Kindle completely out of the tablet business.  They claim publishers are being offered a 30/70 split on ebook profits, with publishers taking the lion’s share; in contrast, Amazon is believed to demand a 50/50 split, only matching the presumed Apple deal if publishers agree to Kindle exclusivity.

Analyst’s reckon the device will launch in late March or April, priced at $1,000 each and with Apple selling as many as 1m tablets per month.

Publication giant the Hearst Corporation has announced plans to release their own digital distribution system to combat Amazon’s top selling Kindle. Hearst has been employing some tech whizzes to develop and release the digital distribution system, Skiff. Through Skiff, readers can buy or subscribe to their favorite publications and read them on hand held digital devices like the iPhone.

Now it seems that Hearst will be taking it one step further and developing their own digital reader like the Kindle to take advantage of Skiff. Rumor has it that publishers are pleased with Skiff and excited about the prospect of publishing books and magazines with the service. Will this be the Kindle killer? The ladies and gentleman over at Heast seem to think so. Expect a major marketing push for the as-of-yet unnamed device late 2010.

Amazon have rejigged their Kindle range, seemingly discontinuing the previous US-only Kindle 2 and reducing the price of the international version to $259.  Presumably acting in response to the recently announced Barnes and Noble nook, which is also priced at $259, Amazon have been informing international Kindle buyers that they’ll get a $20 refund

“Good news! Due to strong customer demand for our newest Kindle with U.S. and international wireless, we are consolidating our family of 6″ Kindles. As part of this consolidation, we are lowering the price of the Kindle you just purchased from $279 down to $259. You don’t need to do anything to get the lower price–we are automatically issuing you a $20 refund. This refund should be processed in the next few days and will appear as a credit on your next billing statement.” Amazon email to Kindle customers

Meanwhile Wired have been playing with the new international Kindle, and as we highlighted at its launch they’ve been a little disappointed with the US-centric accessories, such as the power adapter with US pins.  They’ve also suffered mediocre wireless speeds; a 4.4mb ebook took several minutes to download.

However, on the plus side there’s Wikipedia access from the “experimental” browser, a surprise given that Amazon had said that international Kindles wouldn’t have any browser functionality outside of the US.  That at least saves you $99 for a WikiReader.  We’re yet to see an international version of the Kindle DX, but Amazon have confirmed that one is in the pipeline.

If Apple release a tablet Amazon can forget about it.

Amazon recently released the new version of the Kindle called the Kindle 2. The Kindle 2 offers two sizes to choose from with the larger size featuring the ability to show the text both horizontally and vertically. The Kindle 2 also offers the ability to save more books to its harddrive than the original Kindle. Personally, I’m going to hold out until Amazon releases a Kindle with a color screen before purchasing one. It’s a convenient device, but the pricemark makes it higher than my liking for its ability. A netbook costs approximately the same amount and has nearly equal portability with the ability to read e-texts if I so choose. I think that Amazon has the right idea with the Kindle 2, so I am looking forward to future generations of the Kindle and will likely be purchasing one when Amazon incorporates color to its text.